Richard Attenborough

Born Aug. 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England, Attenborough was raised in an academic home headed by his father, Frederick, a scholar and don at Emmanuel College who authored a textbook on Anglo-Saxon law, and his mother, Mary, a writer and founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, a charity that provided relationship support throughout the United Kingdom. Glimmers of the actor-to-be surfaced at 12 years old when Attenborough rented a public hall in Leicester and performed various acts that included sketches, harmonica solos and comic songs. He segued to Leicester's Little Theatre, where he performed on stage in small roles, thanks to his mother, who at the time was the theatre's presiden... Continue Bio >>